Locusts swarm for road safety

Sunday 29 July 2001 05.51 EDT
First published on Sunday 29 July 2001 05.51 EDT

Scientists are developing a scanner that could prevent cars from colliding - by forcing locusts to watch clips from Star Wars films. Thanks to Darth Vader, Hans Solo and scavenging bugs, road accidents could become a thing of the past.

This bizarre project is the invention of Newcastle University scientists who are trying to recreate the insect's complex brain wiring. Locusts avoid predators and other locusts - even when they swarm.

By fitting electronic connectors to their brains, researchers have begun to decipher the secret of this prowess, said neurobiologist Dr Claire Rind.

'If they did not have such an anti-collision mechanism, they would be constantly battered and damaged. It makes them perfect for anti-collision research.'

Rind noted that locusts possess a large nerve cell in their brains known as the Giant Lobular Movement Detector. This is the key to their flying skills. It responds when an object hurtles towards them.

The dimensions of the lobular cell had a practical advantage. Its size made it simple for researchers to attach electronic sensors. 'We just inserted a couple of probes under each locust's skin and made contact,' said Rind.

The scientists measured the detector's electrical discharges, though they had to get locusts to react as if they were about to collide with objects rushing towards them. Hence the interest in Star Wars.

The team developed plasticine restraints for each insect. 'Essentially, we made little armchairs for them, and stuck them in front of TV screens,' said Rind.

Transformed into couch potatoes, the locusts were shown an edited version of Star Wars, in which the final Death Star battle scenes were repeated over and over again.

When an Empire fighter or the Millennium Falcon seemed to hurtle towards a locust, its detectors sent out signals to make them swoop away. And so the insect avoidance signalling systems were unravelled.

With scientists at the Institute of Neuroinformatics in Zurich, the researchers designed an electronic circuit to mimic the locusts' signalling behaviour. This was fitted to a small robot that avoided collisions.

'It was impressive, but not as impressive as the locust in flight,' said Rind. The scientists are now talking to automobile manufacturers about devices that could be fitted to cars.

The project illustrates the importance of studying animals in engineering research, said Rind: 'Locusts are just the start.'